Fly Away
by Ms. Penny Lane
Summary: Alicia's Quidditch season isn't starting out to good. Unexpected heros and tension between teams. Ok..I REALLY hate summaries...so, read on :o)
1. My Hero

*DISCLAIMER*- But alas…I do not own any of these characters of which I speak of. I wish I did, but J.K. Rowling shall until foreverness. Now read on! This is my first Harry Potter fic on fanfiction.net. But it's not my first fanfic, nor my first harry potter story. But maybe I shouldn't tell you that, in case it's not good…meh. We'll see. Please read&review! 

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Alicia sighed. Today's practice would be a long one, longer that the day before if that was at all possible. As much as she loved Angelina, she couldn't help but feel that she was overdoing things a bit…and it almost made her want Oliver back. _Almost_. Because at least Angelina had a method to her madness- the Gryffindor Quidditch team had never had so much potential. There was a good chance this year for them win the House Cup, playing well enough to make Oliver be proud, and probably to make him cry.

"Alright team! Let's get going. I want to see you work harder than last practice; I know you have it in you!"

Alicia dragged herself off the bench and made her way towards the pitch, exchanging weary looks with Katie as she walked. She had been up all night writing her Potions essay for Snape, just to make sure she didn't fail, so physical exertion was the last thing she wanted to do. But Quidditch was the only thing she was good at- she couldn't wimp out on this too.

The second she kicked off from the ground, she forgot all about being tired. She instantly remembered why she loved Quidditch so much. To her, it wasn't just a sport, a competition between two teams. It was her life, sad as it may be. She loved the freedom she felt as the wind swept back her wavy chestnut hair, the complete clarity of her mind as she left all her problems on the ground far below, the rush as she wove between her teammates, calculating and anticipating their every move. She loved it all. And the best part was that this year, they would prove to the whole school what they were really made of. They would finally get all the glory, and her parents would finally be proud.

Alicia swallowed hard. Her parents. She wondered if being skilled at a game would really be enough to make them proud of her. As she thought, a look of resolution started to spread across her face. She held the quaffle more securely under her arm, weaving in and out of her teammates towards the three glistening hoops at the end of the pitch. Coming closer, she threw the red ball hard, letting out her anger, years of practice guiding it towards the goal. She smiled bitterly as it passed Ron and flew straight in. _There she thought. _I may not be the best in school, but at least I'm the best at Quidditch._ _

She smiled to herself, now satisfied, as if that proved her point. She scanned the air around her for their captain, wondering if Angelina would notice if she just slacked off and stayed there. Finally, her familiar face caught her eye from the ground below. But it wasn't just Angelina. She was talking- or rather shouting- with a number of people below, all dressed in green…

Alicia was too caught in her thoughts to hear her teammate yell out to her.__

_BAM!_

There was a deafening thud as the bludger slammed hard into her side. An aching pain consumed her as she fell to the ground, momentarily dazed, and not having the strength to regain the broom's control. There was an eerie silence in her ears as she fell, which grew louder and more intense, until the world slowly melted away.

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Alicia bolted upright in the bright, quiet room, immediately wishing she hadn't. She grimaced in pain as she clutched her side, staring down at it and frowning. Her ribs were wrapped in a tight bandage- apparently Pomfrey was waiting to heal her. Either that, or she just loved the torture.

She wondered briefly how she got in the Hospital Wing to begin with. But seeing as she couldn't remember anything past getting hit, that was near impossible. She was soon relieved of her worries as a group of maroon-clad bodies rushed through the door. The Gryffindor team, all of whom had clearly been waiting outside, just realized she was awake. Madame Pomfrey had convulsions as they noisily rushed towards Alicia's bedside, and proceeded to shrill at them, which they ignored.

"Alicia!" Angelina said, looking thoroughly relieved. "We were so worried!" She bent down to hug her, at which point Alicia squirmed in pain. Angelina backed up, eyes wide. "Oh, jeez, I'm sorry love!" she said, backing up to sit on a chair instead. Alicia adjusted the pillow behind her back and sighed. There was silence. She looked around at the eager faces around her.

"So…how'd I get here?" she said, looking for something to say. They all exchanged significant looks. No one answered. Alicia felt herself getting annoyed, and her voice showed it when she spoke. "Hello? What happened? I mean obviously I got hit, but I don't remember after that…I'm assuming I fell, correct?" Several people nodded silently. Alicia continued. "Well clearly I didn't hit the ground, or I'd be in more pain wouldn't I?"

Katie cleared her throat and spoke up. "No, you didn't hit the ground, 'Licia. See…right before you got hit, the Slytherin team showed up." There was a certain amount of disdain in her voice as she emphasized the word _Slytherin. Alicia blinked. She remembered seeing them. That was why she got distracted. But Katie continued. "Well they came to cause trouble as usual, trying to steal the Pitch on us again. Said they had permission from Snape and all, so we had to clear out. Always favors them, doesn't he? Slimy git-"_

Ginny cleared her throat loudly. Katie looked around, blushed a little, then went back to her story. "Yeah, so as I was saying. The Slytherins were trying to kick us out, and making fun of us while they were at it. They won't be laughing when we beat them though, you can bet on that." Several members nodded proudly at this and grinned. "Well, they were doing that, when Montague points up and snickers, and we saw the bludger coming at you. That's when Malfoy-"

"Waaait a second" Alicia said, cutting Katie off "_Malfoy saved me?" She was truly taken aback. Why in the world would Draco Malfoy, the boy without a heart, save her?_

"Yeah, he did. It surprised us all, really. That is, until we found out he was just doing it to brag and be an evil little prat. And to have something on you, of course." She finished, looking thoroughly disgusted. 

There were a few moments of awkward silence. Eventually, the team filed out, leaving Alicia alone, thinking to herself. She was feeling extremely ill-tempered and sulky. Draco was never on her good side to begin with, and if she had to see him strut around like a hero tomorrow, she might just get sick.


	2. Why Does It Matter?

DISCLAIMER- Must I tell you again? The characters here are not mine. I don't own them. Never have, never will. *sigh* 

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Alicia's eyes fluttered open in the quiet room. A solid stream of sunlight fell upon her bed. She watched mindlessly as specks of dust danced in it, swirling and spinning. Sighing, she rest her arm across her eyes and grimaced. She would eventually have to leave the Hospital Wing, and it wouldn't be pretty when she did.

Running her hands through her hair as she walked, she pulled it back into a messy bun. A stray strand of wavy honey brown hair fell into her face. She pushed in behind her ear and looked down at the stone floors.

"Hey! Spinnet!"

Alicia stopped dead, closing her eyes as if praying for serenity. She turned around slowly, throwing Draco the best glare she could muster. "What is it, Malfoy?"

He smiled. "Now now, Spinnet. Is that what I get for saving your life? Not even a  'Gee thanks for making sure I didn't die, Malfoy' or anything? Shame. Maybe next time I won't."

She could tell he was thoroughly enjoying this. Alicia's fists were balled so tightly that her nails were digging into her skin. When she spoke, it was through clenched teeth.

"You-did-not-save-me." She said harshly. Draco grinned.

"You're right. I'm sure you would have lived after smashing yourself into the ground." Several bystanders sniggered. "No Spinnet, can't blame yourself really. You are, after all, on Gryffindor, and we all know they can't fly to-"

He was cut short. Alicia stood before him, eyes blazing. Draco, completely speechless, reached up and rubbed the red handprint on his face.

"_Never insult me or my team again, or a bitch slap will be the least of your worries." She spun on her heel and stormed off, leaving Draco utterly shocked behind her._

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Alicia paced back and forth on the plush maroon rug, hands clasped behind her back. Every once in a while she would run her hands distractedly through her hair. Cringing, Draco's sneering face ran through her mind once more. She let out an angry growl before running into someone.

"Ouch! Who the-" Alicia said angrily. But when she looked up, it was Angelina's concerned gaze that she met.

"You ok, love? The common room is going to have a trench in it if you keep this up."

Alicia smiled weakly. "I'll give you one guess."

Angelina grimaced. "Malfoy." Alicia nodded, and Angelina guided her by the shoulders over to an armchair. Alicia sat on the side of the couch and crossed her arms, playing absentmindedly with the fringe of a cream colored pillow.

"Okay, so he has one up on you now I suppose. But he's Draco, he lives to torture. And soon he'll find some other poor victim to wreak havoc on. But for now, his target is you." Angelina said, a pained look in her eyes as she stared at her friend. Alicia's gaze finally shifted from the pillow's frayed trimming.

"I don't know what makes him think he can do it though. If anything, he's got worse problems than all of us! His bloody father is in prison, and his hair wouldn't move if you chiseled it. He…he just has no right! Quidditch is my life, Lina…if I'm bad at this now, what do I have left?"

Angelina, who had sat quietly and still as he friend gushed to her, shook her head slowly. "You're not bad, Alicia. In fact, if you keep this up, you may get to be a professional player someday. Just like we'd always talked about, remember?" Alicia's eyes held a far-off look in them, but she nodded her head slightly. "Don't listen to Malfoy. He doesn't matter- never has, never will. Got it?"

Alicia looked up. "Yeah, got it." She got up and gave Angelina a quick hug. "Okay, enough sappiness for one night, mate." she said smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Angelina said her goodnight and watched as her friend walked up towards the dorm. Alicia sighed, dragging her feet up each step with great effort. _Don't listen to Malfoy. He doesn't matter. She kept repeating Angelina's words over and over in her head. She was, of course right- what a self absorbed, rich, slick haired little prat like Malfoy said shouldn't matter at all. Not in the least._

But it did.


End file.
